Behind the Wheel
by Lusankya
Summary: Ryo just bought his first car, and he is more than happy to show her off to the Tamers! Series of vignettes about Ryo's first year as a driver. Ryo-centric with healthy amounts of RyoXRika and TakatoXJeri. Read, you might like it!
1. Mustang Sally

_Hello reader! I know I said I'd get working on 'Once Upon an Autumn Equinox' soon but I got this idea about series of vignettes focusing on Ryo and his first car that just wouldn't leave me around. I'm planning on writing three or four chapters of varying length which will be related to each other in a loose continuity. In this fic, Rika and the other Tamers will be 16 and Ryo will be 19. For me, music and cars go together, and so I will frequently refer to songs in the title of the chapters and in the chapters themselves. It goes without saying that I do not own those songs. _

_Disclaimer: Just as I do not own Digimon, I do not own Depeche Mode's song 'Behind the Wheel', Wilson Pickett's 'Mustang Sally' or Charles Aznavour's 'Et Pourtant'._

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><p>About a dozen uniform-clad teenage girls had gathered near the school gates to peer at the young man who was parked right in front of the gates. Dressed in faded blue jeans, a white t-shirt, a dark brown leather jacket and sunglasses, the mysterious brown-haired stranger looked like a movie star. But what really had the schoolgirls almost hyperventilate from excitation was the fact that the stranger was casually leaning against a white car that had been polished until it glittered in the sunlight, and which seemed both antique and foreign.<p>

It wasn't just any sort of car, either. It was a convertible. With its top off. And it had the girls' imagination running wild.

"Maybe his girlfriend goes to our school and he came to pick her up!"

"I wish **I** was his girlfriend."

"Nah, I mean, a hot guy like that? We would know if one of us was dating a guy like him. I know I would brag about it. More likely, he's a nice older brother who came to pick up his sister."

"I swear it, if your brother is this hot and you never introduced him to me, I'm so kicking you off my friends' list."

"He's sooo handsome!"

"Doesn't he look familiar to you guys? I feel like I've seen his face somewhere before. Like on a magazine or something."

"Maybe he's a model!"

"Oh, maybe he's hunting for new talent! I've got to look my best!"

"Models don't do that, you idiot. If that's the case he'd be either a photograph or a head hunter."

"And it's not like he would pick you either way!"

"Yes he would!"

"No he wouldn't!"

Hearing part of the girls' argument, the mystery boy allowed himself a small smile. These girls would learn who he was and why he was there soon enough.

"Akiyama? **What the hell are you doing here!**"

The spiky-haired boy grinned at the newcomer as he removed his sunglasses, revealing the blue eyes underneath. "Happy to see you too, Rika! By the way, you look great. You should wear skirts more often."

Rika Nonaka was fuming. Red with anger and embarrassment, she stormed towards him. "Just because I'm okay with seeing you from time to time, it doesn't mean you can just show up whenever you feel like it! This is my school! This is my turf! I have a reputation!" she yelled, while poking him hard in the chest.

Ryo just laughed. "Chill out. From what I've heard while I was waiting for you, I'll only make your precious reputation better."

"But that's exactly my point!" Rika exclaimed while putting her hands on her hips in exasperation. "And for god's sake, my eyes are up here; stop staring at my legs!"

Ryo quickly lifted his eyes back up. "Sorry," he said, sheepish. "I'm not used to seeing you dressed like this. It's sort of distracting."

The red-headed girl scoffed. "Come on, you've seen me in less than that" pointed out Rika, by which she, of course, referred to that one time the Tamers had gone to the water slides last summer, and which only a very sick mind indeed would have mistaken for anything else, because, after all, they are so not a couple.

"Well, yeah," Ryo conceded, "but just once, and it's been a long time!"

"You still haven't answered my question. What _*poke*_ are you _*poke*_ doing _*poke* _here!"

"Now now, Wildcat, no need to get so physical" he said, grinning. "I just came to show you my new baby. Sorry, but you're number two in my heart now," he added while demonstrating the white car behind him, his grin growing larger as he did so.

Noticing the car for the first time, Rika took a step back in surprise. "You bought a car?" she said, her eyes wide. She stared at the vehicle. "Wow... I mean, that's... That's pretty cool, I guess." She frowned at the little figure on the car's hood. "What brand is it? I don't recognize the label. Is it foreign?"

Ryo smirked as he examined his nails in a casual fashion. "It's a Mustang."

"What!" she cried out in astonishment. "You bought yourself a convertible Mustang? With what money?"

"Well, I've been saving up money for a while, and I had a really good deal. So, tell me Rika" he said as he casually flung his arm around her shoulders, "would you like a ride home?"

Still destabilized by Ryo's sudden announcement, Rika didn't initially process his offer – or his arm around her for that matter. "Well, I-I... I-I don't..." she stuttered. Somehow hearing her own voice seemed to take her back to reality; Rika shook her head and quickly shrugged off Ryo's arm. "Well, why not?" she finally said. "I've got nothing better to do. Come on hotshot, take me on a spin." She smirked. "Impress me."

"I'd be delighted to. Now, if her highness would take place inside the carriage..." Ryo said as he held out the passenger door for her.

"Why thank you kind sir," played along Rika as she sat down.

Ryo closed the door behind her and made his way around the car in order to take his own place inside. With a turn of the key the motor roared to life, and they rolled away...

...leaving behind a dozen teenage girls frozen numb with shock by the school gates. Finally one managed to get back enough control over her vocal chords to utter a high pitched shriek: "Rika 'the Ice Queen' Nonaka... has scored **this guy**?"

-*-*-*-In the car-*-*-*-

"Your ride is pretty sweet..." said Rika, looking around as they drove along towards her home, the wind tugging at her ponytail and blowing her bangs out of her face.

"Thanks!" Ryo said, beaming with pride.

"...On the outside. The inside is pretty busted up" she finished, looking at the worn leather benches, from which some stuffing was escaping. Some of the glass on the dashboard was cracked. Although the car was very clean, there was a faint remaining odour of cigarette in the air.

Ryo gave her a sheepish sideway-smile. "Well, there had to a reason I could afford a car like this. It was pretty old and it wasn't exactly in prime condition. I'm probably going to have a few repairs to do, too."

"Wouldn't it have been cheaper in the long run pick one with less wear?" asked Rika, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe a little," admitted Ryo, "but not by that much. I really had a good price. True, it would have been less trouble to get one that needed fewer repairs, but I don't mind. I'm going to make this little darling my very own Greased Lightning." He grinned. "Do you think it would be corny if I called her Sally?"

"Heh, Mustang Sally? Like the song?" asked Rika, amused.

"Yup! Mustang Sally..." he began to sing.

"Guess you better slow your Mustang down."

"Mustang Sally now baby..." continued Ryo, still singing and drumming on the wheel.

"No, Ryo, I mean there's a stop sign – stop!" shouted Rika as she motioned forward wildly. Yelping, Ryo broke abruptly. As they jolted forward from the impact of their sudden stop, a pair of grade-schoolers skipped across the street in front of them.

Both Tamers were breathing heavily from the catastrophe they had avoided _in extremis. _His heart thumping wildly in his chest, Ryo turned towards a very livid Rika.

"Sorry about that" he smiled nervously.

Struggling to steady her breathing, Rika managed an answer: "If you're done trying to impress me, I'd like to home in one piece, please."

They waited until the kids had fully crossed before resuming their journey. After a moment, Rika broke the silence. "So, you were saying you had a lot of repairs to do on this car. What exactly needs repairing?"

Grateful for the new subject, Ryo was more than happy to answer. "Well, first of all I'm going to change the radio."

Eyeing said radio, the red-head raised an eyebrow. "A cassette player? That is so last century. I can see why you would want to change that, but isn't it sort of superficial? I mean, if it can still catch radio signal..."

"But that's exactly the thing. It doesn't get signal, for some crazy reason. So, the only music this radio plays is this weird cassette that is stuck inside, which is, I will add, in some sort of foreign language I don't understand."

"Really? Can I listen to your mystery cassette?" asked Rika with curiosity.

"Sure, be my guest" replied Ryo as he turned the radio on. Immediately violins began to fill the car as a man's voice sang.

_« Et pourtant, pourtant, je n'aime que toi_

_Et pourtant, pourtant, je n'aime que toi_

_Et pourtant… »_

"That's Aznavour" declared Rika.

"What sort of language is Aznavour?" asked Ryo, frowning.

"Not a language, you moron. It's a person. Charles Aznavour. That song is in French."

"Since when do you know French?"

"I don't, but my mother travels a lot for her job as a model. She's into a lot of foreign music because of that. She got into Charles Aznavour after a trip to Paris. This song actually plays often at my place."

"Really?" said Ryo, surprised. "That's funny. Do you know what it means?"

"Not entirely. Well, I do know the refrain translates as 'And yet, and yet, I love only you.' Basically the song is about a guy who is in love with a girl even though she's cold and treats him like crap, but he just can't bring himself to give up on her because she's the only one he loves. Sort of sappy, if you ask me," she said, shrugging.

Ryo gave his radio a quick surprised-yet-pleased glance before turning his eyes back on the road. "Well well, will you look at that," he whispered to himself, smiling.

"I couldn't translate the whole song, but my mother probably could" continued Rika, oblivious to Ryo's comment.

"Maybe I'll ask her about it some time, then" said Ryo as he turned on Rika's street.

"She'd probably be really happy about it, too. You wouldn't know it just by looking at her, but my mother is very passionate about music. There we are, that's the wooden gate over there" said Rika while pointing her finger towards said gate.

Ryo rolled his eyes. "I know which one is your house, Rika" pointed out the blue-eyed boy as he came to a stop in front of her house. "There we are" he announced, turning towards her with a small smile.

"Thanks for the ride, Ryo. It was fun, even though you almost ran over some kids. I suppose you're planning on showing off your car to the others during the rest of the week?" asked Rika as she combed her bangs back into place with her fingers.

Ryo smirked. "Now, why do you assume you're the first to see my car? You are so self-centered. My life doesn't revolve around you, you know," he teased.

She blushed. "I didn't assume..."

"Admit it. You take my interest in you for granted."

"N-no I don't!" vehemently denied Rika, pink tinting her cheeks. "I-I just thought that if you had popped up with a convertible Mustang at Shinjuku High Jeri or Henry would have told me about it."

He laughed as he gave her shoulder a gentle shove. "I'm just messing with you, Pumpkin. Yes, you're the first of the Tamers to see Sally. Yes, I'm going to show her off to the others later this week, although if I want to give each of them a ride I'll have to do it in two parts. I only have space for four passengers, so I wouldn't be able to fit Takato, Henry, Jeri, Kazu and Kenta at the same time in my car."

Clearly unhappy to have been made the butt of the joke, Rika sulked as she unclasped her security belt. "You're such an idiot Akiyama."

"You're very special to me too, Wildcat. Now you run along, I'm sure you have plenty of fun high school homework to do."

"Gee, thanks mister big-shot university student" sarcastically said Rika. She opened the car door. "See you around Ryo. Thanks again for the ride."

"My pleasure. Bye Rika" he waved.

He watched her as she opened the gate to her house and waited until she was inside before driving away. A small smiled played on his lips as he drove towards his own home. He raised the volume of the radio and began singing along.

_« Et pourtant, pourtant, je n'aime que toi_

_Et pourtant, pourtant, je n'aime que toi_

_Et pourtant… »_

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><p><em>There you go! <em>_I hoped you liked this little story. Of course, comments and reviews will be greatly appreciated. __Stay tuned for the next chapter, which is already written and will most probably go up next week! _


	2. Baby you can drive my car

_Hello everyone! Here is the second chapter of Ryo's adventures behind the wheel! I apologize for the delay; with school starting again I hadn't much time to think about this story. But, I know you're not here to read my comments, you're here for the story so I will hold you back no longer! Read and enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Sometimes, I own Digimon. Then I wake up and I realize it was only a dream._

Ryo let himself fall into his couch. Sprawling on it sideways in to achieve the laziest position possible, he caught the TV remote in his hand and turned it on. Dressed in faded grey sweatpants and a dark green t-shirt, Ryo smiled to himself as he zapped. It was Sunday, he had no homework or studying to do, and exceptionally he wasn't scheduled to work at the university's bookstore, his part-time job. Since his parents were working, he had the house all to himself. He had nothing to do, and that was exactly what he was planning to do: nothing.

Of course that wasn't what the universe planned.

When the doorbell rang, Ryo jolted with a start. Frowning in confusion, Ryo made his way to the door. Who dared to interrupt his lazy day? He opened the door, and found himself face to face with...

...a very nervous-looking Takato.

"Good morning Ryo!" said the goggle-boy, who was holding a big paper bag.

"Takato? What are you doing here?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, I was passing in the neighbourhood..."

"Dude, you live half an hour away by bus-"

"...and I thought we could have breakfast together!" Takato rapidly cut the Legendary Tamer. "I-I brought croissants!"

"Croissants...?"

"A-and chocolate bread and cinnamon buns!" the younger boy added quickly.

"Um, okay," answered a very puzzled Ryo. "Well, uh, why don't you come in?" he added while stepping sideways to allow Takato to enter.

"Thanks Ryo!" said Takato with relief.

Once inside the kitchen, Ryo took out some plates and invited Takato to sit down at the table. The two boys began eating in silence. After eating a cinnamon bun, Ryo looked at his visitor.

"Alright Takato. I appreciate you visiting me, and I really appreciate the pastries, but it's pretty obvious you want to ask me something. So, what is it?" he bluntly asked.

Takato flinched. "Okay, well, I guess I wasn't very subtle" he admitted. "Well, here goes. You know when you came at our school a few weeks ago, to show us your car?"

Ryo nodded. Kazu and Kenta had almost drooled over Sally. "Go on."

"And uh, Jeri was pretty impressed."

"Uh huh." She had indeed been impressed. She squealed in admiration and had begged him to ride shotgun.

"And well, it sort of-of uh, well, I felt j-j-je...

Ryo frowned. "Jealous? Look, let me reassure you right away. I am not going to make a move on her. I'm sorry if it looked like I was flirting with Jeri, but I really don't like her like that."

"No, that's not what I mean!" protested Takato, waving his hands in negation. "Besides," he added, "I know it's Rika you like."

"What?" blinked Ryo.

"I wouldn't have guessed it, but Jeri says it's obvious and she's usually right about those things. But anyway, that's not my point. I felt j-jealous because I wished I could impress her that way. So, I wanted to ask you..." Takato gulped.

"Come on, spit it out. What is it?"

"Will you... teach me how to drive?" he asked, his big chestnut eyes full of hope.

Silence.

"...you actually want me to teach you how to drive?" echoed Ryo, dumfounded.

"Please! I read the traffic code! I-I can pay you for the lessons! Well, I don't have much money... but I can pay you in bread and pastries!"

"You really want to learn how to drive, just so you can impress Jeri?"

"Well..." he blushed and lowered his eyes. "Yeah."

The Legendary Tamer smiled gently. "You know, I bet she would be just as impressed, if not more, if you gathered the courage to ask her out."

The blush on Takato's face darkened. "Maybe. I don't know. But I'd still like to learn how to drive. Please. Will you teach me?"

Ryo thought for a few seconds and shrugged. "Oh well, I had nothing planned today anyway. Okay, I'm in. Just let me get dressed and we'll get this started."

"You are? Oh, thank you so much Ryo! I'll owe you a really big one!" joyfully exclaimed Takato. "But wait. What do you mean, we'll get this started? You mean, now?"

"Why not? Do you have something better to do?" asked Ryo as he got up from his chair.

"No..."

"Then now is as good a time as any. We'll find an empty parking lot or something." Ryo grinned. "Today, I'm teaching you how to drive."

-*-*-*-3 hours later-*-*-*-

The two boys were sitting in a fast food restaurant, sipping soda in silence. A basket of fries lay between them, mostly untouched. Finally, Ryo broke the silence. "Look, it's alright, nothing bad happened."

"Nothing bad?" Takato exclaimed. "I almost turned a cat into a pancake!"

"Almost, Takato. You didn't touch the cat. It wasn't your fault, it jumped out of nowhere."

"This is terrible," moaned the goggle-boy. "I never do anything right. I'll never learn to drive. Jeri will never want to date me." He then proceeded to bang his head against the table. Ryo grabbed his shoulder and shoved him right up.

"Stop with the self-pity" he admonished him. "Nobody is good the first time they try to drive. It comes with practice. A lot of practice" he specified.

"I don't think even all the practice in the world can cure my suckiness..." replied Takato in a sad voice.

Ryo closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He had to grab Takato's self-esteem and pull it back up, hard.

"Look, Takato. I'm going to tell you something, but you can never tell anybody about it" finally said Ryo after a moment.

Takato's eyes connected once again with Ryo's, curiosity written all over them.

"What is it?"

"I mean it; you can never, never, never tell anyone. Not Jeri, not Henry, not Kazu or Kenta, not even your parents, and especially not Rika. I'm risking big just by telling you about it."

"Well, okay then, I swear I'll never repeat whatever you're going to tell me" said Takato. "So, what is it?"

"Well, here it goes." Ryo took a deep breath. "You're not the first to ask me for driving lessons. Rika did too."

"What?" exclaimed the chestnut-eyed boy. "Really? She did?"

"Yup. And the first time she drove, it wasn't pretty. She actually drove right into a tree. Fortunately she wasn't going too fast, so she didn't scrap my car, but it could have been really bad."

"Really? She did?" asked Takato with wide eyes.

"Yup. And unlike the cat, that tree didn't exactly jump in front of the car, but Rika still bumped into it."

"I can't believe it... I mean, Rika is usually so good at everything!"

"What I mean to say is that when she began, Rika was a much worse driver than you are. But she kept on practicing and she's getting better. So, there's absolutely no reason that you shouldn't get better too" finished Ryo.

Takato pondered at his words. "If Rika had more trouble than me, but still got better, I guess I can do it too" he finally said. He grinned. "Thanks Ryo. I won't give up. I'll get better, I promise!"

"Now that's a better attitude" said Ryo, grinning too. "But seriously, don't ever tell anybody about what I just told you. Rika would skin me alive if she ever found out I talked. She made me swear silence."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't wish Rika's wrath even on my worst enemy, let alone you! I'll take it to my grave!" swore Takato.

"Good. Come on, I'll give you a ride home. I think you had enough practice for today. I'll come get you next Sunday for your second driving lesson. Is that okay?"

"It's great! Thank you so much Ryo, I really appreciate it" said a very grateful Takato as they left the fast-food joint and walked to Ryo's car.

As he drove his friend home, Ryo was thankful that Takato was just naive enough to not ask questions about the details of Rika's supposed accident. He also really hoped the goggle-boy would keep his promise and stay quiet about that little story he told in order to raise Takato's self-esteem back up. Even though it was for a good cause, Rika would certainly not take it well if she ever found out that Ryo had invented such an outlandish story about her.

_That's all folks! Sorry this one is a little bit short and sort of meagre on the ryuki side. Don't worry though, next chapter should be much longer and yes, there will more ryuki in it too! Stay tuned for next chapter, and of course comments and reviews are more than welcome!_


	3. Summer of '09

_Hi there! Yup, new chapter; I'm on a roll. And yes, there will actually be Ryuki interaction in this chapter! The chapter title is a reference to the Bryan Adams song "Summer of '69"which is one of my favourite songs, a summer anthem if there ever was one and, incidentally, one heck of a great song to sing in a car! You know, keeping with the car references. I hope you'll like this chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I do own Digimon. I am also the Queen of England. Not._

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><p>"You know what really sucks about summer? It's that it has the potential to be awesome, but it never actually lives up to it" complained Kazu as he looked on uninterestedly at Kenta and Rika dueling each other in a game of Digimon.<p>

All the Tamers had gathered to Guilmon's old hideout. While Rika and Kenta played under the watchful eyes of Ryo and the bored ones of Kazu, Henry was playing with a hacky sack and Takato was attempting to sketch him. As for Jeri, she sat next to Takato with a book in her hands but she was more interested in watching Takato draw.

"You know, that's almost deep coming from you, Kazu" joked Takato.

"I'm serious!" insisted Kazu as he got up, stretching his legs. "We could be doing anything we want, but we always end up here, doing the exact same thing!"

"Well, not always," protested Jeri. "We went to the movies last week, remember?"

"Maybe, but we can do that anytime the rest of the year! It's summer, and we should be doing summer stuff, like going to the beach. But nooo, instead we're stuck in Tokyo" sulked Kazu, kicking a rock for good measure.

"It would be awesome if we could go to the beach" wistfully said Kenta as he played a card.

"Yeah, but traveling is expensive," pointed out Henry, between kicks to his hacky. "Renting a house would cost less than hotel rooms for all of us, sure, but it would still be expensive. And that's without the price of the train tickets."

"And we don't have that sort of money" sighed Kenta.

"Speak for yourself. The rest of us work, you know. Only you and Kazu don't have a part-time job" teased Ryo.

"Hey! Rika doesn't work either" objected Kazu.

"What? I do work too!" protested Rika.

"Getting your picture taken once every couple of weeks or so isn't a real job" scoffed Kazu, folding his arms and sticking his nose in the air.

Rika rolled her eyes. "I still make more money than you do" she said as she put her own card down. "You lose" she stated, looking at Kenta.

"W-what? But how!" he stuttered, astonished.

"Oh, how I wish we could go to the beach" said Jeri in a dreamy voice. "The sun, the water, the sound of the waves... A beach house would be so perfect!"

"Hehe, I guess it would be pretty awesome," Takato chuckled, blushing slightly as he looked at Jeri.

"But even if we could afford it," intervened Ryo, "The odds of us managing to get a hold of a beach house are slim at best. I mean, we're in July; most people make their reservation for these things months in advance!"

A collective sigh filled the air as the Tamers resigned themselves to a summer in the city. As she gathered her deck and began to shuffle it, Rika looked pensive. Finally, she cleared her throat. "Ahem. Actually, I do have a beach house," she hesitantly said.

The group immediately hushed as their stared at her in incredulity; even Henry dropped his hacky. Kazu was the first to break the silence.

"Traitor!" he screamed, pointing at her. "You've been holding out on us all this time!"

"Kazu, calm down!" pleaded Takato. "But seriously Rika, why did you never tell us about it?"

"Well, to tell the truth, it's more like I have access to a beach house" specified Rika. "It's owned by my mother's modeling company and they use it as a location for photo shoots. When it's not used though, my mom can use it as she wants."

"That's great Rika, but that doesn't answer Takato's question. Why didn't you tell us about it before?" asked Jeri.

"Because even though I can use this house, we can't get there," explained Rika. "There are no train stations in the area, and no bus goes there either. The only way to go there is by car."

Takato, Jeri, Henry, Kazu and Kenta then simultaneously turned towards Ryo. The latter shifted uncomfortably. "Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

"Dude," said Kazu, his eyes full of hope, "you have a car."

Ryo's eyes widened. "Are you kidding? I mean, it's not that I don't want to drive us there. But I can only sit four other people in my car!"

"Kazu can ride in the trunk!" offered Kenta.

"Hey!"

"And where would our luggage go? Plus, that's still one person too many" objected Takato.

"Maybe, if we pooled our money together, we could rent a bigger car" suggested Jeri.

"I may have a better idea," said Henry as stroked his chin, pensive. "My dad drives a van. Maybe I could ask him to switch vehicles with Ryo for a couple of days."

"Wouldn't that be a lot of trouble for your family though?" asked Ryo.

"I don't think so. If I'm not there, my dad shouldn't have any problem driving my mother and my three siblings around."

Ryo pondered this for a moment. "Alright. If it's okay with your dad, I'm in. I wouldn't trust my baby to just anybody, but I know your dad will take care of her." He looked around to the Tamers. "Are we really doing this, guys?"

"Hell yeah!" Kazu and Kenta shouted in unison.

"I'm totally in!" agreed Takato.

"I'll buy myself a new bathing suit!" giggled Jeri.

"I'm in as well" Henry assented.

"Meh, why not. I've got nothing better to do" Rika shrugged, but the smile on her lips betrayed her real feelings.

"Alright then!" said Ryo. "I propose we do this in two weeks, so that we have some time to ask for the weekend off at our respective jobs. Are we good with this?" When the others nodded their assent, he continued. "Henry, you should call your father to see if he's okay with the car switch."

Henry agreed and took out his cell phone immediately. "Hey dad, it's Henry. Can I ask you something? ...You see, me and the other Tamers would like to go spend a weekend to Rika's beach house... No, not the one coming, the one after. Yeah, well the thing is that Ryo would be ready to drive us there, but his car won't fit all of us. So I wanted to ask you, do you think you could trade the van with Ryo's car for a weekend? ...He drives a convertible Mustang. ...Alright then. Okay, bye!" He hung up. "My dad is more than totally okay with the switch" he announced, smiling.

"Awesome!" yelled Kazu and Kenta, throwing their fists in the air.

"That's great!" said a grinning Takato as he got up. "We'll need some organization though. Rika, what do we need to bring at your beach house?"

"There are several beds, so you guys won't need sleeping bags" began Rika. "Although I suppose you could bring your own pillow. There's a kitchen, but no cooking utensils or plates or stuff like that. We'll need to bring some. Apart from that though, we pretty much only need food, clothes and sun block" she smiled.

"Alright then!" said Takato, clapping his hands together. "Let's divide the tasks. Ryo, you're driving, so we obviously won't ask you for anything else. We'll split for gas money. Rika..."

"Gets shotgun" interrupted Ryo.

"Eh?" Rika quizzically said as she turned towards the Legendary Tamer.

"No fair!" complained Kazu.

"Well, it only makes sense, doesn't it?" said Ryo as he leaned back against the wall of Guilmon's hideout, smiling. "Rika is the only one who knows the way, so she'll be in charge of directions. She's the only co-pilot I want" he added, winking at her.

Rika rolled her eyes. "Oh well, I supposed you'd be lost without me to hold your hand. Okay Hotshot, I'll be your co-pilot."

Takato nodded gravely. "Yes. Yes, of course it's normal that you should be Ryo's... co-pilot, Rika" he said.

For a moment, a feeling of dread washed over Ryo. Takato obviously believed Rika could drive too. Was he going to talk about the 'driving lessons' she supposedly took from him?

However, Rika only looked at Takato in a funny way. "Um, yeah sure. Anyway, I can also bring plastic plates, glasses and utensils" she added.

"I can take care of sun block and beach toys" Henry spoke. "We have a lot at home. I could put together a first-aid kit, too."

"Good idea Henry!" said Takato. "Kazu, Kenta, I'm putting you in charge or snacks and candy."

"Coolest..." began Kazu.

"...job..." continued Kenta.

"...ever!" they shouted yet again in unison.

Takato smiled at them. "Glad to see you guys are enthusiastic about it. I'll take care of the rest of the food."

"I'll help you!" volunteered Jeri.

He turned towards her. "That's really nice Jeri, but you don't need to trouble yourself, really..."

"It's no trouble at all!" she smiled brightly. "We can go shopping together. It will be fun!"

Takato blushed. "Well, okay then. We'll do it together." He checked his watch. "Sorry guys, but I'm going to have to go home, my grand-parents are coming to visit tonight. Let's keep in touch so we can plan whatever else needs planning during the week, okay?"

"Sure Takato" said Henry as he put his hacky sack in his pocket. "I wanted to hit the library before going home anyway."

"Can I walk with you Takato?" asked Jeri sweetly. "My dad asked me to pick up some bread on the way home."

Takato's blush deepened. "S-sure Jeri."

"Hey Akiyama" said Rika nonchalantly, "I'm feeling damsel-in-distress-y. Care to give me a ride home?"

The aforementioned Tamer raised an eyebrow. "Really, Rika? You're actually asking to spend some time with me? Alone? Who are you and what have you done with the real Rika?"

"Hey!" protested Kenta. "If Rika gets a lift we want one too!"

"What he says!" agreed Kazu.

Ryo glared at the pair. "For the hundredth time, you guys are banished from my baby for an indefinite amount of time; you, Kenta, for the spilling of coke on my seats, and you, Kazu, for poking, tickling and otherwise distracting me while I drive. I also suggest you learn some car manners because I swear to god Kazu, if you pull that sort of stuff during our road trip to Rika's beach house, I will drop you off in the middle on the highway."

Kazu sulked. "You didn't need to be all uptight about it. A simple 'no' would have been fine" he grumbled.

"Wanna hit the arcade?" proposed Kenta to his friend.

"Good idea! See you later guys!" The pair then promptly ran off.

After Takato, Jeri and Henry had waved them goodbye and went on their way, only Ryo and Rika remained. He took a mock bow and said "Well, shall we walk to the carriage, milady?"

She smiled and mock curtsied. "Why of course kind sir."

They began walking out of Shinjuku Park and made their way towards Ryo's car in silence.

As they neared his car, Rika broke the silence. "Actually, Ryo, I wanted to ask you something."

Caught off guard, Ryo almost tripped. Rika asking him two things in less than one hour was everything if not suspect. He nonetheless tried to appear as nonchalant as possible as he reached for his car keys. "Really now"

"Well, I've wanted to ask you for a while now, but I didn't want to say it in front of the others..." she trailed off.

He turned towards her, his heart beating with trepidation. He did not want to believe it, he could not let himself believe it... but was she actually going to _confess to him?_ No, it couldn't be; that wouldn't be Rika's style, he told himself. And yet, what else could he think as he looked into her pure lilac eyes, shining with the last rays of the afternoon sun?

"What I mean to say is..." she breathed.

Ryo's heart skipped a beat.

A wicked gleam entered her eyes as she suddenly smirked. "Pay up."

He blinked."What?"

Rika laughed. "Haha, you should have seen your face! But really," she said between fits of giggles, "don't you remember our little wager? I bet you 200 yen that Jeri would ask Takato to do something together before Goggle-Head found the courage to ask her."

Ryo blinked again. "That's what this was about?" he asked, feeling very foolish.

"Actually, since Jeri proposed two activities with Takato, you technically owe me 400 yen. But, I'll take the original 200 since I'm feeling generous" she continued. Ryo turned toward his car and busied himself with opening the passenger door for Rika so that she wouldn't see the disappointment in his face. "Gee" he said, trying to keep his voice light, "all this for that?" he asked as he held the door open for her.

She snorted as she climbed into his car. "It was much funnier this way. Seriously though, you should have seen your face! Did you think I was about to confess my undying love to you?" she mocked.

Ryo took a deep breath as he walked around the car and took his own place behind the wheel. "Psh. Like, as if," he said, straining to keep the hurt from showing in his voice and his face. "Confessing isn't your style; I know you prefer to keep your feelings about me a secret. But that's alright, I'm a very patient man" he said as he took two 100 yen coins from his jeans' pocket and handed them to her.

She snorted as she took the offered coins. "Keep on dreaming Hero-Boy."

"I guess that's all I can do" Ryo whispered to himself as he started the motor of the car.

"Huh? Did you say something?" asked Rika.

"No, it's nothing," he smiled at her. "I really thought Takato was going to ask Jeri out anytime now though."

"Why did you think that?"

"Well, don't tell anybody, but he's been asking me for driving lessons."

"Driving lessons?" she frowned. "What for?"

"He thinks it will impress Jeri" he explained, driving slowly out of the park area.

"He wants to impress her?"Rika said, amused. "How cute."

Ryo glanced at her sideways. "You think so?"

"Sure. He still should just put on his confidence pants and ask her out straight, though. She would say yes."

"I think so too, and that's what I told him. But still, I think learning to drive is helping him to build his confidence. He'll be passing his driver's license next week, you know."

"Really now. Who knows, maybe those two lovebirds will get closer during our weekend at the beach!" said Rika, smiling.

"Yeah, who knows?" he smiled too. "So, why don't you tell me more about that beach house of yours?"

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><p><em>That's all for today! Next chapter: road trip! Exceptionally, I'm going to give you guys a little bit of a teaser: next chapter will contain cuddling and a great debate about how Rika looks in a swimsuit. Want to know more? Then stay tuned, and don't forget to review!<em>


	4. Life is a Highway

_Hello everyone! Wait, what? I haven't updated this since 2011? Whoa. *Ducks volley of rocks and rotten fruits* I'm sorry! But I am updating now! Hopefully there are still some people around who care about my little stories. It was a long time coming, but I hope you'll like this chapter, because I do. And now, on with the story!_

_Disclaimer: I couldn't afford the rights to Digimon even if I wanted to._

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><p>It was a beautiful sunny morning when Ryo arrived at Henry's apartment building on the day of the road trip. As he parked in front of the building, he noticed that all the other Tamers were already there.<p>

"Hi everybody!" he called out as he came out of his car, his backpack slung over his shoulder. "Is everybody in the mood for a road trip?"

"Yeah!" they all answered happily.

"We already started packing the van with my dad," said a smiling Henry. Ryo then noticed Janyu Wong waving at him. He grinned as he made his way towards the former Monster Maker.

"Hello Mr Wong! Thank you so much for agreeing to lend us your car for the weekend. I promise I will be very careful with it" assured Ryo.

Janyu smiled. "It's nothing at all Ryo. I know you're a very responsible young man, and you've been driving for a few years now. I trust you. Plus, I don't think I'm a loser in the bargain. Your car is a real beauty," he said, looking at Ryo's car with appreciation.

The brown-haired boy grinned. "She is, isn't she? Her name is Sally."

"Sally, huh?" Janyu chuckled. "I can't wait to get better acquainted with her. I never had the chance to have a car like this, with the kids and all. It will be like a little boy's dream for me!" he said to Ryo, smiling.

"Hey, Hero-Boy!" Rika called. "Get your stuff over here so we can put it in the trunk. We don't have all day!"

"I'm coming!" he called back. He smiled apologetically to Janyu. "Sorry. My lady awaits."

"No problem, son. Here are the keys to the van. You kids have a nice weekend."

"Thank you! Here are my keys too" he said as he handed them.

"Akiyama!"

"Gee Rika, I said I'm coming!" he answered exasperatedly as he made his way towards the van. As he placed his own backpack in the trunk, he asked: "Is my stuff the last?"

"Yup" Rika acquiesced. "Once that's done we should be ready to go."

"Shotgun the backseat for me and Kenta!" suddenly screamed Kazu.

"No need to be so loud, Kazu! If you guys want it so bad take it. The middle seat can hold three persons anyway. Takato, Jeri and me will just sit there" said Henry.

"I'm smaller, so I'll take the center seat" volunteered Jeri.

"Are you sure?" asked Takato. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"It's alright, I don't mind!" chirped Jeri, smiling.

"Well, if you ever get tired of sitting in the center, just tell me and we'll switch, okay?" offered Takato.

"Thanks Takato, that's really kind of you!" said the brunette, beaming.

The goggle-headed boy blushed and began scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "T-That's nothing at all Jeri, hehe," he stammered with a shy smile on his face.

Ryo smiled and shook his head at the two very obvious (but apparently not to each other) lovebirds. "Alright people. If all of our stuff is packed in the van, then that means that the only thing left to put inside... is us." He grinned as he clapped his hands together. "Get in, kids! The road is waiting!" The Tamers broke into cheer as they excitedly took their place inside the car. Jeri giggled as she tied on her seatbelt. The general excitement was so contagious that Rika even flashed Ryo a full-toothed grin as she tied on her own seatbelt next to him. To say Ryo was taken aback by Rika's gesture would be an understatement, but he happily returned her smile nonetheless.

"Everybody has their seatbelt on?" asked Ryo while adjusting the mirrors.

"Yes!" the gang answered in unison.

"Then let's get this party started!" he shouted as he turned on the engine.

"Whoohoo!"

The blue-eyes boy slowly made his way into the street, getting the feel of the van. After a few minutes, he felt confident enough to talk as he drove. "Hey, Rika" he said.

"Hm? What?"

"As my co-pilot, and by the sacred rules of the shotgun, I hereby declare you in charge of the radio for the duration of this trip. Use your power wisely."

She rolled her eyes at his antics but kept on smiling. "Gee, that's an awful lot of responsibility that you're putting on my shoulders, Akiyama."

"I know" he answered gravely, "but I think you can handle it."

"Heh, alright then. Anyone brought some CDs for the trip?" asked Rika, turning around to face the other Tamers.

"I did," answered Henry as he proceeded to take some CDs out of his bag.

"Me too!" added Jeri.

"Me three!" followed Kazu.

"Pass them all forward to me then" said Rika. "Except Kazu's CDs because he has no taste whatsoever in music."

"Hey, I resent that!" Kazu sulked.

Ryo chuckled as he listened to Rika and Kazu's back-and-forth bickering. Good thing that those two were seated so far from each other, because Rika would have already started hitting him if they had been closer. He then stopped listening to the ambient conversation so he could better concentrate on the tough part ahead; getting out of Tokyo.

*-*-*-*-an hour later-*-*-*-*

Having gotten out of Tokyo without problems, the Tamers were enjoying a rather eventless ride on the highway up to now. Having taken her responsibility of the radio quite seriously, Rika was very pleased with the fact that everybody was singing along at the top of their voice to her selection, a CD burned by Jeri specially for the occasion.

"I love these songs!" exclaimed Jeri when the CD ended. "I know they're corny, but old pop songs are just so fun to listen to!"

"Hehe, they do have the nostalgia factor going for them!" Henry chuckled.

"It was a great set list!" said Takato.

"Thanks!" Jeri beamed, her cheeks tinted with pink.

Ryo and Rika shared a knowing glance, smiling and shaking their heads at the would-be-couple-if-only-one-of-them-grew-some-guts . Rika then began going through the CDs in her hands. "So, what should we listen to next?"

"While Rika chooses the next CD, do you guys want to play a game?" asked Jeri.

"Sure" enthusiastically answered Takato. "Guess who I'm thinking about!"

"Is it someone in the car?" asked Henry.

"Yes"

"Is it a girl?" asked Rika.

"No."

"Is it me?" asked Ryo.

"Yes!" Takato laughed.

"My turn then!" Ryo thought for a while. "Okay, got it!"

"Is it me?" immediately said Rika, smirking.

"I suppose it was too easy. After all, you know I'm always thinking about you, Pumpkin" he smiled while reaching over to pat her leg.

Rika promptly slapped his hand away. "Eeww, don't touch me you pervert! It's my turn to pick someone."

"Is it someone in the car?" asked Takato.

"Yes."

"Is it a boy?" asked Jeri.

"Yes."

"Is it someone stupid?" asked Henry, stifling a laugh.

"Yes!"

"It's Kazu!" laughed Takato.

"Yes!"

They all laughed heartily. However, Rika broke the laughter. "Hey, isn't this the part where Kazu goes "who are you calling stupid, moron?"" she said while turning around, frowning.

"That's true, he and Kenta have been rather quiet for a while…" said Henry.

"Well, let's check up on then!" chirped Jeri. She twisted in her seat and propped herself up the back of her seat. "What's up guys? Why are you so- **eeek! Are you guys looking at dirty magazines? Perverts!**"

"What?" simultaneously exclaimed the other occupants of the car.

"This is not what it looks like!" stammered Kenta.

"Guys, I will not have any porn in Henry's dad's car" said Ryo, his voice severe. "Now, be good kids and pass over the goods to a responsible adult; that is, me."

"I swear it's not porn!" cried Kazu. "It's just the swimsuit edition of the magazine Sports in Pictures. See? The girls are all wearing swimsuits!" To prove his point, Kazu opened the magazine at a random page and handed it to Jeri for her to inspect.

From the corner of his eye, Ryo noticed that Rika visibly tensed.

Suspicious, Jeri handled gingerly the magazine as she inspected it, while Henry and Takato pretended not to be interested but glanced at it anyways. Jeri slowly flipped through several pages before pronouncing her judgment.

"Alright," she said, "there are no perverted pictures here…"

"See!" pleaded Kenta, who, along with Kazu, had shuffled forward on his seat and rested his arms on the top of the middle seat, so as to be able to see over their friends' heads. "We told you so!"

"Still, it's obvious you guys are not reading this for the articles," chided Jeri. "You should be ashamed of yourselves. It's wrong to objectify women the way you do!"

"Chill out, Jeri," said Ryo. "Give the poor guys a chance. They're sixteen and haven't had the chance to make their own experiences yet; it's normal they're curious! If the pictures are tasteful then there's nothing wrong with it."

"Besides," added a smirking Henry, "that is likely the most action those two are ever going to get."

"Hey!"

"No, Jeri is right" suddenly intervened Rika. "It's wrong and they shouldn't be looking at it. Jeri, hand it over to me."

"Hey, you can't take it! It's not like it's a XXX magazine and we're underage, we bought it and it's ours! You can't take it away!" opposed Kazu.

"Yes I can!" she barked as she turned around and held out her hand. "Jeri, give it to me now!"

"No way!" yelled Kazu as he reached out to retrieve his precious magazine. Seeing his move, Rika promptly snatched at it too, resulting in a tug-of-war with an unfortunate Jeri caught in the middle.

"Eeek!" screeched Jeri as the pair fought and pulled around her.

"Let go!" screamed Rika.

"You let go, it's ours!"

"No fighting while I'm driving!" growled Ryo.

"Just calm down, guys! It's just a magazine, it isn't worth all this!" was Henry's meek and fruitless attempt to calm things.

"Yeah, why do you even care so much anyways?" asked Kenta as he reached down and grabbed at it too. Rika was no match for Kenta and Kazu's combined strength, however, and the magazine promptly split in two at the spine.

"Aw man! Look what you've done!" accused Kazu.

Rika, however, did not even bother with an answer and promptly threw her severed half of the magazine down her window.

"No!" shrieked the magazine's owners.

"Rika! Are you out of your mind?" angrily said Ryo. "That's dangerous! I won't have you fighting and throwing stuff out the window while I'm driving. Never do that again, or I swear to God I'll bend you over my knee and spank you."

She rolled her eyes. "Chill out, Akiyama."

He glared at her as best as he could while keeping his eyes on the road. "I'm not joking. Keep acting like a child and I'll punish you like one."

She lowered he eyes and shifted uncomfortable in her seat. "Gee, fine, I'm sorry okay? No need to get all high and mighty about it."

"Look who's talking! You're the one who started making a fuss about our magazine!" accused Kenta, while waving his broken treasure around, accidently hitting Kazu in the face with it in the process.

"Ow! Watch it!" angrily said Kazu while grabbing the magazine out of Kenta's hand. He was about to smack him with it in retaliation, but something caught his eye.

"What the…?" he stared at the item in his hand. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," he snorted.

"What is it?" asked Kenta, puzzled.

"There are pictures of Rika in there! Bikini ones!" He exclaimed triumphantly.

"What?" exclaimed the rest of the Tamers, minus Rika who turned beet red.

"You're joking," said Henry, disbelief in his voice.

"He's not! Look!" giggled Kenta while handing it to him.

However, Jeri was quicker and grabbed the magazine right out of his hand. "You should be ashamed of yourselves!" she scolded. "You have no right to ogle and make fun of our friend… Oh my god." She stared at the open page and her eyes widened. "This turquoise monokini is so cute!" she squealed while flipping happily through the pages. "Are these rhinestones on these wedge sandals? I love the print on that pareo! Is coral coming back this year?"

Rika covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Ryo looked on at the road before him with dismay.

"But… I want to see the pretty pictures of Rika too!" he whined, his chin almost quivering with sadness. Rika promptly relieved one of her hands from its functions and smacked him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry Ryo," sympathetically said Takato as he leaned forward to pat Ryo's un-smacked shoulder. "You'll get to see the real Rika in a swimsuit during the weekend."

The blue-eyed Tamer brightened. "That's true! Thanks Takato."

Jeri looked up from the magazine. "Why didn't you want us to know about it Rika?" she asked, puzzled. "We all know you model from time to time, and those pictures are really great. I sure wish I had legs as long as yours," she sighed wistfully.

"Plus, the swimsuit edition of Sports in Pictures is a pretty big modeling gig," added Henry, before blushing. "Well, that's what they say, anyway. How did you even get in such a big gig?"" he stuttered awkwardly, trying to change the subject.

"How else? My mom," sighed the redhead as she peeled her hands away from her face. "She got in, but she asked the photographs to try me for a few mother-daughter shots; when my mom asks people something, they tend to do it. Anyway, they liked me. The money was really good, and they let me keep some of the stuff I wore."

Kazu and Kenta stared at her, their jaws hanging. "Are you actually saying…" Kenta began.

"…that there are bikini pictures of Rika's hot mom in there?" Kazu finished.

"Give it back now!" screamed the pair as their ripped their loot from Jeri's fingers.

Rika facepalmed. "Great. The Dorky Duo would rather ogle my mom than me. I'm not sure if I feel relieved, insulted or disgusted."

"For what it's worth, I'd rather ogle you than your mom," Ryo said while flashing her a quick smile.

"Shut your face."

Henry held up his hands. "Because I care about my physical well-being, I'm going to abstain from commenting on this particular topic."

"Seconded," acquiesced Takato.

"Well, genetically speaking, odds are that Rika will be just as worthy of being ogled when she's her mom's age," teased Jeri, giggling behind her hand. "Don't you guys agree?"

Rika turned around and shot Takato and Henry an icy warning stare.

"I'll only answer to that question in presence of my lawyer" said Henry while shaking his head. "Yeah, I'm going do like Switzerland and remain neutral on that one," added the brunette.

"Good call" said the Digimon Queen as she turned back into her seat. She suddenly straightened. "Hey, we're not far anymore!" she exclaimed, excitement creeping into her voice.

"We're not?" asked Ryo, stealing a glance at his co-pilot.

"No! We get off the highway in four exits, drive through the village, and then we should be at the lake house in about twenty minutes!" she grinned excitedly.

A cry of "awesome!" "great!" and "woot woot!" answered her announcement, and the rest of the ride was spent in happy chatter only broken by an occasional shout every time someone thought they caught a glimpse of the lake through the mass of trees that bordered the road they were on. Finally, the serpentine road they followed opened into a sunny clearing. Before them stood a large two-story-high house painted in a soft shade of blue, surrounded on all sides by a large veranda painted in white on which rested a porch swing. Beyond the house was a glittering expanse of white sand and, beyond that, the blue waters of the lake lapped at the shore in small, lazy waves.

Rika turned toward Ryo as the van came to a stop next to the house and flashed him a small, teasing smile. "Well, what do you know, you actually got us here in one piece," she said as she gave his shoulder a light punch, smiling.

"Couldn't have done it without you, Pumpkin" he said as he returned the smile and the light punch.

"You're just saying that to flatter me."

"True," he conceded, "but I've had worst co-pilots."

The red-head rolled her eyes but kept on smiling. "You're an idiot."

"If you guys are done flirting," interjected Kazu, which made Rika jump, "can we get to the matter of getting our butts into this lake which is obviously just waiting for our butts to be in it?"

"We can't disappoint the lake, now, can we?" said Ryo as he turned around, still smiling. "Alright kids, let's get everything inside the house first, and then the last one in the water is a rotten egg!"

The gang broke into a cheer as the all climbed out the van and happily started unpacking the van. Once the trunk of the car was opened, everyone reached for their own luggage. Ryo grabbed the icebox and started walking towards the entrance of the house, but almost lost his balance due to its weight. Rika stopped next to him. "Need a hand with that?"

He smiled and waved her off as best as he could while maintaining both of his hands on the handles of the icebox. "Nah, I'm fine, it's just as little heavier than I expected. Takato and Jeri must have gone wild with provisions."

"Don't be stubborn and let me help you, idiot" she sighed exasperatedly as she reached for one of the handles and pried it out of his hands. Ryo felt a small electric shock as their hands touched. "Seriously?" he asked her, an eyebrow raised as they started walking towards the house, each holding their side of the box. "You, of all people, are telling me "Don't be stubborn and let me help you"?"

"Touché, Akiyama. Still, it's not every day I get to be the hero and you the damsel" she smirked.

"Does that mean I get to call you Hotshot, and you call me Pumpkin?"

"Are you crazy? I'm not calling you Pumpkin."

"Of course, you're right. We should have other pet names when the roles are switched. What about… You be Wildcat, and I be Stud McDreamy."

"Not happening."

"Aww, come on Wildcat."

"Can the severely deluded Mr. Stud McDreamy manage to hold the icebox on his own while I unlock the door?"

"Sure he can. See? That wasn't so hard."

"Don't get used to it." She said as she unlocked the door. Opening it, she turned around and smiled at her friends. "Welcome to our little piece of paradise for two days, people."

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><p><em>And that's all for tonight, folks! I will try very hard to update again before two years. I would very much like to finish it. Narratively, I am now closer to the end of this story than before; there should be only two more chapters (maaaybe three) and an epilogue, then it would be finished. But, that's still a long way to go, especially considering my writing speed. But, we'll get there. See you all next time, and I can't wait to read your comments!<em>


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